Ms Raissouni and her fiancé were arrested in Rabat on August 31, 2019 by plainclothed police officers. Earlier that day, they had been seen in a gynecology-obstetrics clinic in Agdal district. After the police forced them back to the clinic and arrested the doctor, and two of his assistants, the five of them were then transferred to the headquarters of the Judiciary Police of Rabat for questioning.
Ms Raïssouni was held in custody at the police station for two days, where she was questioned about her private life and whether she had an abortion. Later, during the afternoon of August 31, the police took her to Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat where she underwent a gynecological examination without the medical staff asking for her consent.
During her detention, Ms Raïssouni was also questioned about her activities as a journalist and about the political writings of several members of her family, including her uncles Ahmed, president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, and Souleïman Raïssouni, editor-in-chief of Akhbar Al Yaoum and author of editorials critical of the authorities. She was also asked about the activities of her cousin, Youssef Raïssouni, who is the secretary general of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights.
In a letter released on September 4, Ms Raissouni had also reported being questioned about the case of Toufik Bouachrine — the former director of Akhbar al-Yaoum who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in November 2018. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had previously recognized the arbitrariness of his detention.
On September 2, Ms. Raïssouni was brought before a public prosecutor at the Rabat Court of First Instance and charged with “illegal abortion” and “debauchery”, offenses punishable respectively by up to two years in prison, under Articles 454 and 490 of the Criminal Code. After her application for conditional release was rejected, she was remanded in Al-Arjat Prison in Salé.
On September 5, the public prosecutor of Rabat Court of First Instance released a statement detailing the allegations against Ms. Raissouni, which contained private information and breached her right to the privacy and secrecy of the investigation.
On October 16, 2019, she, her fiance and doctor were granted royal pardon and subsequently released.
